Rap veteran Swizz Beatz thinks credit should be given where due. During an Instagram Live conversation with hip-hop personality Joe Budden, he spoke about rap newcomers paying taxes to those who came before them.

Paid Dues

Swizz spoke on the new generation sending some type of monetary payment to all-time greats. He says they took the first steps in cementing hip-hop as the genre it is today.

“I want to raise a million dollars for each icon that started hip-hop… [DJ] Kool Herc on down. The fact we’re not paying taxes on who started hip hop shows we don’t f*cking really love hip-hop. The fact we don’t pay taxes as artists to those icons that paved the way took the lower cut for the music that allowed us to feed out families. We need to be paying taxes to the creatives of hip-hop that gave us freedom of speech to go forward. Melle Mel, Grandmaster Flash and Sugarhill Gang, minium a million a piece.” -Swizz Beats Talking To Joe Budden

Future Battles

Later in his conversation with Budden, he revealed two more dope IG Live ‘Verzuz’ battles. SB says he hopes to see Rakim and Big Daddy Kane face off, and that a piano battle between wife Alicia Keys and John Legend is in the works.

Wait, There’s More

Swizz and fellow Grammy-winning beat-maker Timbaland aren’t slowing down on their ‘Verzuz’ series. Their newest guests will be hip-hop heavyweights Nelly and Ludacris. Barring any changes, the Nelly versus Ludacris battle will happen this Saturday, May 16. Both Tim and Swizzy announced the huge face-off on their social media pages.

“Nelly versus Ludacris. Next Saturday. This isn’t a f**king game. Verzuz. For the artist, by the artist, for the people. Who you got? We gonna have a big ass party. We working here. Listen, this is the announcement for Ludacris versus Nelly. If you want Ludacris versus Nelly, put the fire signs in the air, bottles in the air…”

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Y’all got #nelly or #ludacris ?? ? . . [Peep #SOHH.com hourly for the latest news!] #SOHHNews #HipHop #RapNews #MustRead #MusicNews #50Cent #Drake #LilWayne #KodakBlack #CashMoney #Future #YoungThug #NickiMinaj #CardiB #Migos #Offset #GucciMane #KendrickLamar #TDE #NBAYoungBoy #OVO #Quavo #JAYZ #LilUziVert #verzuz #timbaland #swizzbeatz

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Before You Go

New York rap veteran DMX is coming for JAY-Z with no mercy. When recently talking about the ‘Verzuz’ battle series and asked who he’d take on, X quickly name-dropped Young Hov. Despite JAY having more than 10 albums to his name, X said he would take on his longtime pal.

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WHO WOULD WIN? #DMX or #JAYZ?? ? . . [Peep #SOHH.com hourly for the latest news!] #SOHHNews #HipHop #RapNews #MustRead #MusicNews #50Cent #Drake #LilWayne #KodakBlack #CashMoney #Future #YoungThug #NickiMinaj #CardiB #Migos #Offset #GucciMane #KendrickLamar #TDE #NBAYoungBoy #OVO #Quavo #NipseyHussle #JAYZ #LilUziVert

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